ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government has initiated 199 projects worth Rs601 billion as part of its Southern Balochistan development package, Planning Minister Asad Umar said on Monday. 

The government announced the development package in November 2020. It includes various development projects in nine districts in the south of Balochistan, the largest and the most impoverished province of Pakistan. 

For this, the federal government was to provide Rs540 million, while the rest was to be spent by the provincial government. 

Umar shared details about the projects while addressing attendees of the National Workshop Balochistan (NWB) VIII, organized by the Balochistan government and 12th Corps of the Pakistan Army. The workshop is aimed at enabling the exchange of perspectives among participants through the lens of Balochistan. 

“The Southern Balochistan package will focus on providing employment opportunities, health and education facilities, and digital connectivity to the Balochistan region,” Umar said. 

“Digital Balochistan will significantly contribute to employment generation for the people of the region.” 

Speaking about Pakistan’s future trajectory, the minister said the government was committed to providing maximum share in federal resources to Balochistan for its speedy development. 

“It is the prime minister’s vision that the state should give priority to the development of the most backward areas of the country and therefore special development packages had been announced for Southern Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and 14 priority districts of Sindh, along with Karachi Transformation Plan,” he added. 

PM’s aide Khalid Mansoor also briefed the NWB VIII participants about the projects being executed under the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which has seen Beijing pledge over $60 billion for infrastructure projects in Pakistan and has the Gwadar port in Balochistan at its heart. 

Mansoor said substantial work was being done to uplift the province and the development would not only connect it with other provinces, but it would pave the way for regional connectivity. 

The event was also attended by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Parliamentary Secretary Kanwal Shauzab, Planning Commission deputy chairman and other high-ranking officials.